“ENSURING HOLISTIC HUMAN SECURITY: EMPOWERING SRI LANKAN CHILDREN THROUGH SAFE AND FULFILLING WORK ENVIRONMENTS”
September 15, 2023Institute of National Security Studies
Round Table Discussion on
“ENSURING HOLISTIC HUMAN SECURITY: EMPOWERING SRI LANKAN CHILDREN THROUGH SAFE AND FULFILLING WORK ENVIRONMENTS”
Post -event Press Release
The Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the Ministry of Defence’s premier think tank on national security, hosted a Round Table Discussion on “Ensuring Holistic Human Security: Empowering Sri Lankan Children Through Safe And Fulfilling Work Environments” on Thursday, September 14, 2023, from 1400hrs to 1530hrs (IST) via Zoom. Mrs. Badra Withanage, Director of Education for All, Ministry of Education, Mrs.N.R. Ranawaka, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Labour, and WDIG Mrs. Renuka Jayasundara, DIG Children and Women Range, Sri Lanka Police were the event’s three distinguished Guest Speakers. The session was moderated by Rear Admiral Dimuthu Gunawardena, RWP**, RSP, VSV, USP, nswc, psc, hdmc, Acting Director General and Director (Communications and Publications) of INSS. The audience included ministry officials, academics, researchers, policymakers, and Sri Lanka Armed Forces representatives. The moderator commenced the proceedings by explaining about the current issue of child labour in Sri Lanka, and further, he highlighted that it has challenged the child protection in Sri Lanka.
Initially, WDIG Mrs. Renuka Jayasundara, DIG Children and Women Range, Sri Lanka Police discussed under the topic titled “Addressing Sociolegal Gaps in Eradicating Child Labour in Sri Lanka”. Thereby, she emphasized about the legal system which is affected to eradicate child labour in Sri Lanka. Secondly, Mrs. Badra Withanage, Director of Education for All, Ministry of Education shared her thoughts under the topic “Implementing Child Employment To Eliminate Child Labour In Sri Lanka”. In her discussion, she highlighted the educations implemented by the Government to reduce the child labour related issues in Sri Lanka, thus, she pointed out the challenges in achieving equity for vulnerable groups in Sri Lanka. Finally, Mrs. N.R. Ranawaka, Deputy Commissioner, Department of labour focused on the topic “Current Child Labour Situation in Sri Lanka and its Impact to Human Security” where she illustrated about the current status of child labour in Sri Lanka and she more precisely highlighted about the emerging trends of child workforce in Sri Lanka.
The moderator led a good Q & A session in the final 30 minutes of the programme,allowing the presenters to react constructively with the required information to the audience’s queries. Finally, Ms Madhushi Sandamini, INSS Research Assistant, offered the Vote of Thanks, bringing the Round Table Discussion to a close.